


Two girls snuggling in bed cause they hella gay

by mandaree1



Series: it ain't technically a baby draft if they're your kids [21]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Bc I find that hilarious and had to make it a tag, Cats named for rude words relating to the removal of genitals, Commission work, F/F, Michelle being Just That Extra, Pearl and Michelle being awkwardly gay for each other, Playful jests to cover up Actual Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:35:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21661039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandaree1/pseuds/mandaree1
Summary: Michelle mopes around on a boat. Pearl gives her a birthday present. The present tries to slice her nose off.
Series: it ain't technically a baby draft if they're your kids [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1276295
Kudos: 27





	Two girls snuggling in bed cause they hella gay

The rocking of the boat is nice. Not great, but nice. Michelle's more than happy to take nice, especially when it entails the warm embrace of Pearl, who all but begged to share a sleeping space (like she was gonna argue, right?) and was now snoring into her shoulder, drool clinging to her chin. A warm arm went around Michelle's shoulders whilst the other was hanging halfway off the bed. The bedside table had a cutlass and a half-finished map.

Her nose wrinkled. Michelle wished- not for the first time- that Pearl didn't have such noxious morning breath.

Carefully untangling herself proved to be rather easily; and, judging by the snort that left Pearl's lips when her hand collided with her face, more of a politeness than a necessity. Michelle tied her bathrobe tight and left the cabin.

The ship was a rental. Not for fishing or pirating, but simple little jaunts down a river or two. Pearl really hadn't spared any expense- which, now that she thought about it, was probably why she'd asked to share the bed. Michelle leaned her elbows on the railing and looked out into the thick brush of Plumeria.

It'd been a year now. Only a year. Already a year. The two concepts were almost interchangeable, especially to her wings, which refused to heal properly. A year since she'd been caught. A year since she'd set foot in Horde turf.

Michelle hated to admit it, but she missed it. The small pieces haunted her with something like nostalgia- the humming machines, the smell of fibreglass, the beeping robots. Sometimes, she slept next to a fire, just to feel the warmth of a boiler, or took time off in Dryl to be somewhere closely related but far less dangerous.

She missed being a spy.

She missed being _useful_.

"Monologuing already today?" Pearl came up beside her. Her hair was a mess, but the drool was gone, so Michelle figured they were even. She wrapped the same arm from before around her shoulders and squeezed. "I know this dingy isn't as cool as maybe a dragon or a horse or whatever, but it's always nice to be on the water, yeah?"

Michelle hummed indecisively. "Did I wake you up?"

"Nah. Had to pee." Pearl shrugged. "You make quite a picture, getting all angsty on the edge of a ship."

"In my bathrobe, even."

"In a bathrobe, even!" she repeated, eyes twinkling. "Wanna let me in on the angst, or is it private angst?"

"Nothing special," admitted Michelle, shaking her head. "Just the usual. I miss spying. I miss having a job. I'm just... antsy, I guess."

Pearl blew a raspberry. "Not much to spy on. Just a buncha knuckleheads wigging out over She-Ra."

"Better than doing nothing."

"But you're _not_ doing nothing! You're moping on a boat! That's an extra special kind of something." Pearl gave her elbow a friendly shove. "Let's fix us some breakfast, and then I have a surprise for you."

"Pearl, you know I don't like-"

"You'll like this one, I promise."

Michelle considered the pirate's words apprehensively. "Is it a knife?"

"Nope. I think you've got that stockpile covered." She squeezed again. "Listen, if it bothers you that much, I don't mind telling you. I just thought..."

"It's okay," she said, though it really wasn't. Not quite. She trusted Pearl, as much as Michelle found herself trusting anybody these days, but surprises could end with bloody wings and dead soldiers. "I'm not quite hungry yet. Can we... skip to it?"

Pearl had a lopsided grin on her face. "Sure. Just wait right here. I kind of hid it in the spare room."

"Ah, so that's why I wasn't allowed in."

She sent her some finger guns and moved away. Michelle palmed a knife in her pocket and tried to ignore the fact that she needed to palm a knife to feel safe with one of her closest friends. It's better than using it, she told herself. She'd kicked that habit after one unfortunate incident with a butter knife.

Pearl opened the door, poked her head in, and instantly pounced. Michelle watched her disappear inside with a loud swear, followed suit by a couple of objects being thrown out.

"Is my present fighting back?" she called, somewhat amused.

"Just a bit of a squirmer, is all!" Pearl replied, stumbling out with something clinging to her face. Michelle could just make out a splotch of brown fur and a fluffy tail as she shuffled here and there, trying to pull it off. "C'mon, c'mon, not now!"

"Is that a squirrel?"

"Nope! Too fat." She pried the creature off with a grunt, then flipped it around. In Pearl's hands was a cat- or the vague approximation of one, at least. It had short, stocky legs and heavyset shoulders. Its tail was almost triple its size, and easily twice as large. It was calico in color, snowy white with the odd bit of orange and brown- the spot on the back reminded Michelle of a turtle shell. "Here she is!"

Michelle found herself laughing at the goofy thing. She scratched its chin. "Aunt Catra's gonna lose her mind."

"Aw, she'll deal." Pearl pointedly held it out for her to take. "I know she's not anything fancy, but it's somethin' to care for. I thought this might help."

The cat curled up in her arms with a pointed sniff toward Pearl. Michelle smoothed her fur out. "That's sweet. Does she have a name?"

"Not yet. I figured you'd wanna name her."

Michelle tutted. "Locked her up in a ship, all on her own, with no name to her. No wonder she's pissy. She's got nothing and no one."

"The guy I got her litter and mom from said this is her base personality. Apperantly she had _a thing_ for kneading on his lap. A lot."

"Smart kitty!" praised Michelle. The cat started to purr. That was comforting. It reminded her of home. "You realize I have to name her Castration, right? It's too funny not to do it."

"Hey, she's all yours." Pearl held her hands up. "Gonna give the poor thing a complex, naming her like that."

"Another thing we have in common, then." She booped her nose against her own. "Nice to meet you, Cassie."

Pearl wound her arms around the front of Michelle, effectively trapped Cassie between them. She was smiling. "Happy birthday, Mitch."

"First year I've not had cake," Michelle replied. "Odd to think, isn't it?"

"I could make you one."

"I want to live, Pearl. You baking isn't conducive to that." Michelle's good spirit faltered at the sight of Cassie. She was so young, but clearly a handful. Pearl had chosen her for a reason. "You don't have to take care of me anymore, you know. I'm okay."

Pearl puffed a sigh out of the corner of her mouth. "Yeah, I know."

"There's an outpost in the north that needs someone to clean it up. I was... thinking of going."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I can't stay out of this damn war forever."

"I know," she repeated. "Just... you know how to get ahold of me if you need help. I know that. But _be careful,_ at least in the beginning, alright? Ain't no point in fighting if you get blasted two days in."

"Careful there. That almost sounded like fondness."

"You can't die on me, Mitch. You just can't." Pearl squeezed, prompting an annoyed meow from Cassie. "If all the other Princesses can have each other's backs, then we can have ours."

"Aye, aye, cap'n."

"I'm serious! And there's nothing more intimidating than a pirate lesbian out to protect one of her fellow women!" Cassie chose that second to be completely and utterly sick of the tight quarters, and promptly lashed out, drawing thick lines across Pearl's chin. She fell back with an ungainly screech. "Michelle! Your cat assaulted me!"

Michelle planted a kiss on Cassie's head. The cat's eyes fell half-lidded. "Good kitty."

**Author's Note:**

> Cassie, recognizing a person who wants to hold smth almost as much as she wants to be held: Oh Ur Mine Now
> 
> -Mandaree1


End file.
